This past November we went on our first major family road trip. We drove from Southern Ontario to Orlando Florida to stay at the All Star Movies Resort at Walt Disney World.
We drove for two days along I75. We stayed at the Marriott in Dalton using our Marriott Points. If you are looking for a place to stay close to the I75 the Courtyard Marriott in Dalton is newly renovated and the beds were super cozy. Plus it is close to restaurants (you can walk to a Chipotle), grocery stores and gas stations. Everything you need for a road trip.
We arrived in Orlando late afternoon on our second day of driving and after getting slightly lost found our way to our Disney Resort – All Star Movies. 
All Star Movies Resort Review
Because we are Canadian we weren’t able to have our magic bands sent to us before check in. This meant that we had to line up at the front desk to check in as opposed to doing web check in. I would suggest that if you get your magic bands ahead of time do the web check in because the front concierge desk tends to be slow.
They were extremely friendly however and went out of their way to provide us with all sorts of Disney buttons which the kids really loved.
Check in was supposed to be after 3 pm and we were early. I thought for sure that would mean sitting by the pool with our luggage but we were able to get our room right away which was fantastic.
There are five different themed areas of the All Star Movies Resort; Toy Story, Fantasia, Herbie the Love Bug, Dalmatians and Mighty Ducks. It comes as little surprise that the Canadian Family was placed in the Mighty Ducks section.
All Star Movies Resort Review – Rooms
The rooms are nothing to write home about. The beds were comfortable enough, although the standard room only comes with two doubles not queens. The bathroom was small but clean. The one turn off for me was the carpets which were long past needing replacement. The fridge however was large enough for us to stock up with milk and drinks and lunch essentials.
Keeping in mind that All Star Movies is a value resort the rooms are pretty much what you would expect. Think of a 3 star All Inclusive resort and you have essentially what you get from an All Star Movies standard room.
The defining factor of why we chose this resort over other Disney properties was not the rooms. In fact we figured we were not going to be spending much time in our rooms beyond sleeping and getting ready for dinner which was the true. When were weren’t at the Disney Parks or at Disney Springs we were at the pool. If you figure this is likely to be the same for your family I would definitely consider this resort.
All Star Movies Resort Review – Pools
There are two pools at the All Star Movies Resort. One in the Fantasia Section (shown above) and one in the Mighty Ducks section. The Fantasia Pool is the larger of the two and is the pool that has entertainment starting later in the morning. Both pools have multiple life guards and life jackets available for use. We brought our own water wings which my son used because he is still too small to touch in the shallow end. My daughter on the other hand was able to touch in the shallow sections. The deepest part of the pools was up to my neck when on tip toes. It is actually a good depth for learning to swim.
Since we visiting Florida in November it was still fairly warm, 25 degree Celsius days. However it was definitely beneficial that the pools were heated. Made it easy to stay in the pool as long as my kids wanted which was hours at a time.
The pools also had beach balls which not only my kids thought were great, all the kids seemed drawn towards them. Added to the fun of the pool without a doubt.
One thing to note there are no slides at the pools at the Value Resorts. However if your kids are novice swimmers like mine that is a comfort not a drawback as it is easier to manage them without the draw of a pool slide.
All Star Movies Resort Review- the rest of the resort
What really shines with the All Star Movies Resort are the themed sections. Who can resist a giant Woody or Pongo? We had so much fun going around to all the sections and taking pictures. I even packed my daughters Woody costume to take pictures in the Toy Story section. So many people complimented us on her costume, I guess I was the only crazy mom who packed Disney costumes from home!
We tried out the playground area that is found between the Fantasia Pool and the Toy Story Section. It is small but a welcome break from the pool.
There is also a small gift shop, or rather a small Disney Store on site. Of course it was not as extensive as the World of Disney store at Disney Springs nor the ones at the Disney parks, but it was also not as picked over because there was a lower volume of shopping. We were able to pick up some souvenirs that family members had requested back home at the gift shop at our hotel. The same items were sold out elsewhere.
The one area of the resort that we didn’t really use at all was the Food Court. We ate off resort for dinners and had our breakfast and lunch foods in our hotel room fridge. The one downfall of the Value Resort system at Walt Disney World is the food court food choices at these hotels.
That being said they make it so easy to get off resort with their busing system that it doesn’t really end up being a big deal. The buses to the various parks are found out front of the resort and come fairly timely every 20 minutes.
The resort is smaller than most of the All Inclusive resorts I have been to, only taking a few minutes to walk from one end of the resort to another. There are elevators in each of the buildings as well so you don’t have to carry your luggage up and down the stairs if you don’t want.
What do you think of the All Star Movies Resort Review? I think it is a good option for families on a budget trying to save money on their Disney vacation. Especially if you are spending most of your time away from your room, All Star Movies extends the magic of the Disney Parks to the resort.